AoA Provides Disaster Assistance to Iowa Department of Elder Affairs
Will Assist Seniors Impacted by Destructive Floods

HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell today announced the award of $50,000 to the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs to assist older individuals and families impacted by record flooding, which began in May 2008.

President Bush has declared 24 counties in Iowa as disaster areas.  Thousands of older individuals and families in Iowa have been impacted by the severe flooding which has caused massive devastation throughout much of the state.  More than 38,000 individuals are unable to return to their homes at this time, with more than two thirds of them in Cedar Rapids and surrounding towns and cities.

Assistant Secretary Carbonell expressed her continued concern for all victims of the floods and pledged to continue to work with the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs and local area agencies on aging to ensure that seniors who are impacted continue to have as much support and assistance as possible. “Our hearts go out to older Iowans and their families. We want to ensure that those who were the most severely affected by this historic destruction are able to recover and return to their communities as soon as possible,” Carbonell said.

Approximately 9,000 homebound seniors rely on services provided by Iowa 's dedicated network of aging and community-based organizations. Coordinated efforts by area agencies on aging, service providers, emergency response teams, volunteers and caregivers are assisting and, if necessary, evacuating seniors to safety.   

The Administration on Aging's (AoA) disaster relief funds will be used to support a variety of short term and long term critical needs including extensive case management to determine priority needs, hands-on assistance for accessing appropriate resources, completing forms and filing insurance claims.  In addition, support will be provided to medically fragile homebound seniors who need prescriptions filled, home health services, and transportation. Since many homes are not habitable, assistance will be provided to those who are struggling to find places to live. In addition, shelf stable meals and other food items and personal care items needed to be replaced, and mental health counseling is needed for many who have lost all their possessions.

Additional Resources

Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fema.gov

Iowa Department of Elder Affairs
http://www.state.ia.us/elderaffairs/

Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management
http://www.iowahomelandsecurity.org

HHS and National Service Team Up to Increase Volunteering Among Baby Boomers and Older Americans

Recognizing the extraordinary potential for social good among baby boomers and older Americans, the Corporation for National and Community Service and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration on Aging (AoA) on Sunday, June 1, 2008 unveiled a multi-year partnership to engage baby boomers and older adults in addressing the needs of vulnerable populations through volunteer service

HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell joined Corporation for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner in announcing the landmark partnership before an audience of 1,500 Senior Corps project directors and sponsors attending the National Conference on Volunteering and Service http://www.volunteeringandservice.org/index.htm in Atlanta.

“Volunteers, many from AoA’s national aging services network of state, tribal and community organizations, play a critical role in helping older Americans remain at home and in the community, which is what they prefer,” Carbonell said. “This partnership supports the Bush Administration’s efforts to modernize long-term care in our country, and it will set the stage for a major expansion of public and private initiatives that engage older volunteers and baby boomers in strengthening local community programs, particularly those serving older persons.”

The partnership is a result of the 2006 reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, which called for the Administration on Aging and the Corporation to collaborate on strategies to increase volunteering and civic engagement among older adults.  The new initiative builds on previous efforts between the two federal agencies, including the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, when delegates adopted a resolution in support of a national strategy for promoting civic engagement and volunteering for current and future seniors.

The core of the partnership is a grant from the Administration on Aging to the National Council on Aging http://www.ncoa.org (NCOA) of $1 million per year for up to three years.  NCOA will provide sub-grants and technical assistance to 24 model programs for engaging adults over the age of 55 in increasing the capacity of nonprofits to serve vulnerable populations.  Grantees will engage older adults in service and civic engagement projects aimed at increasing the number and types of services to frail elders, families of children with special needs, grandparents raising grandchildren and other vulnerable populations. 

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Click here to view the full Remarks of the Assistant Secretary for Aging